I am 48 and it has been hard to lose the weight and keep it off. I started off on 1500 calorie but now I am trying 1200. I am so addicted to the carbs. each day I try to reduce the carbs but it is so hard. I am thinking about going cold turkey on all carbs maybe I will see the results I am looking for. I want to be 150 pounds again and I know it is going to take a lot of work. Plus I have limitation after a spinal infusion surgery in 2012. But I just keep pushing on thus far post surgery I weighed 256lbs but got back up to 276, last week I was up to 280 for not exercising and not really paying attention to calories. But, now I am at 278 and I boy do I pay attention. I am sticking to my 1200 calories diet and that is that. I will not eat calories back and I will drink 64 ounces of water a day. As a diabete I was told to eat 1/4 carbs with each meal but I know carbs love me like I love them. So, no carbs for a week and let me see how this goes or at least try no starchy carbs for a week.

@May Wow---6 1/2 lbs in one fell swoop? How exciting and wonderful!! That's a WHOOSH! I hope it's gone for good.

I'm so sorry about the hard times with your in-laws. Family relationships can be so uncomfortable and difficult to make better. With your MIL in this physical/mental state, your FIL's world is collapsing and it seems he's taking it out on you and David. It's hard to do anything right and pleasing in that situation no matter how hard you try. I dread getting older. I don't want to be an unreasonable and demanding old lady.

@FaithMathias Welcome! What May says is right--cut those carbs! After a few days you'll be surprised at how the cravings have gone and you feel so much better. Sweet stuff is so addictive and keeps the desire for more sweet going. Don't be afraid of substituting with fat which is far more satiating.

I wish we could confer with a doctor or someone who understands post-menopausal body function who could steer us in the right direction for successful weight loss. Most of us are having such ongoing difficulty and I don't understand WHY!

I hope you all have a great day and week ahead!

jumanajane wrote: »

Just thought I would pop this in quickly....sorry I havent time to do a full post....

YES May!!! Lolol. No socks! The badge of an Englishman.....trainers AND socks...usually grey! Uuuggghhh.

Made this yesterday...OMG its to die for and only 3gm carb a slice and soooo easy! Raspberry cheesecake slice.



http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/10/low-carb-raspberry-cheesecake-bars.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/VCiSP+(I+Breathe...I'm+Hungry...)

At Ellen and Kathie...really hope you get some sleep soon! I am right there with you!

Love and hugs to all of you.

This looks spectacular. Bookmarking for another day. Thanks!

Yes, I think you are right @Kathie, about the carbs that is. I did increase the carbs and had a weight gain. I'm going to cycle back down again and will hopefully get back to where I was a couple of weeks ago. It sure has been interesting though, to see what happens when I change what I eat. Wy to go btw, with all the wedding preparations, you're doing so great !

I had a craving for tomato and my tomatoes won't be ready for weeks with our short growing season. So I bought one organic, locally grown hothouse tomato and enjoyed it for supper tonight, with bacon and chicken and mayo. I sliced the chicken as the "bread" in my sandwich, messy but good. I love to eat with my hands.

@May, much love and support to you ! My mother isn't ill like your MIL, but I can see her world getting smaller and smaller since my Dad died. It gets harder to spend time with her ( but as you know it has always been hard for me to spend time with her.) It helps me to cope with her dramatics if I remember that her aches and pains are huge for her. She does not get out into the real world and has no other challenges in her life, no busy schedule etc like the rest of us. I find myself limiting the amount of time I spend reacting to her complaints about everything. I listen, give practical advice, suggest that she get around moving more if her joints are stiff for example. She doesn't like that since she is mainly looking for sympathy when telling me all about how sore she is. But there is no wonder she finds it hard to get up and move around if she has been motionless in front of the TV or computer for hours on end. If she complains that she thinks she has arthritis, I suggest she cut sugar out of her diet to reduce her inflammation. Aren't I a bad daughter ?

I know your MIL and FIL are in worse shape than my mother is and this may not be the best advice. It sounds like your MIL has health issues that may not be helped with the type of lifestyle changes that I like to suggest to my mother, and she is also older and more frail. All you can do is try to best manage the visits, according to your schedule. You are already doing your best ! That's all you can do. Just do what I do whenever I see my mother....get into the right frame of mind for your own peace of mind. These folks are not like you and I. I view my mother as handicapped in many ways. She does not live in the reality of the world as I know it. And so I don't (or try not to) allow myself to be offended by her selfish behaviour. I give her time according to my schedule, listen to her troubles, but put boundaries on how far I let her go. I tell her a few tales from out in the real world, do the gardening then leave, telling her when she can expect to see me again. I only see her 3 times max per week. So far it's working.

I just had a wee taste of homemade rhubarb cordial that was made by one of the farmers who provided organic veggies along with our meat farm share last fall. I poured a bit into my glass with some ice then filled the glass with club soda. Yummy and summery and old fashioned tasting. The label on the jar says it was made with "Rhubarb, local honey, Thai basil blossoms and love." Tastes great.

All for now wonderful ladies. Take care everyone.

Okay, I went out today and got sugar free ice cream because it is hot and I love it. I forgot myself not to get mash potatoes because I love them so much. My breakfast was fill of only 249 calories and 0 carb. I totally crashed around lunch time and had to have something in my mouth. My fault I should have packed a snack to go so the crash would not happen to me. I find I am not really hungry during the day but just like putting something in my mouth that is crunchy. I lost 2lbs this week, I am at a happy 276lbs, so here goes trying again to have a day with reduce carbs, water, snack and a work out. So, I guess the big question for me is how do I get 1200 calories and stay below my carbs? I think for each meal I should consume at least 300 calories which leave room for more healthy snacks or at least three snacks each snack about 100 calories.

Janice! Your advice is awesome! I love every word because it true! Faith, hello, I'm Karla. In the beginning of this woe I thought snacks would be missed. I had to make the choice every time I put something in my mouth. Now, after four months, it's a fading memory. Having power over food is amazing. It's something I've never experienced before and I know you can get there too. I eat two meals a day now too. Mine is a coffee with hwc in the morning, lunch between 11 & 12 that's usually around 700 calories then the rest of my calories for supper (I aim for 1300-1400). You will be hungry if you try to divide 1200 into three meals and won't be able to think about anything but food. Hang in there. Get some beef jerky or something lc to keep with you for the snacking needs in the beginning, but I can say that you won't miss it once you are fully adapted. I this new wol!

Thanks @Karla ! You are so awesome with positive reinforcement.

Most of the time I eat closer to 1300 calories and sometimes over, depending on the day.

Yes Ellen, I have heard about the BMR. I have no idea what mine would be now. And in previous "diets" I did notice that if I was very low on my calorie intake, my body would slow down and weightloss would cease, since the body is so smart that it wants to conserve energy and protect us from starvation. I have a desk job and the only time I get up at work is because I am drinking 10 cups of water at work lol ! The only exercise I usually get is 20 minutes of walking 6 times per week. I have also found that when I am eating 1500-1700 calories daily, my weight goes up. So I am keeping my roughly 1300 calorie goal ( with exercise).

@Faith, you will likely need to eat more than 1200 calories in the beginning, just to satisfy your hunger as you transition. So @Ellen, I agree that it is important to eat according to hunger to a point. Most of us got into this situation by eating too much. So I think it's really helpful to pay attention to that moment when your body recognizes that it is full. That happens for me when I eat a 500-600 calorie meal that is largely protein and fat. Then that magic moment comes when I suddenly realize that I can't eat another bite. And I feel satisfied for hours on the power of that meal. But it has to be a substantial meal, not just a snack of 100-300 calories. If I find I want a snack, I might as well just eat supper then quit eating for the rest of the day.

Something that intrigued me greatly more than a month ago when I was contemplating zero carb was the notion of taking away the "entertainment" value of food and viewing it as fuel instead. @Faith, when you take away the carbs, your blood sugar does not rise after eating, then crash when you've processed the carbs. That crash makes people want to eat more carbs and more food. When you take away the carbs, you will find you have much more even energy throughout the day, and you will come to recognize true hunger. But I find that it is nowhere near the raging hunger of a carb eater who must have more and more carbs throughout the day.

When I have hunger doing keto and eating 2 meals per day...I merely observe the hunger from a distance without reacting to it too much. I try drinking some water, and 95% of the time, my hunger goes away and along with it, the desire to snack. I actually forget that I thought I was hungry, and usually wait until after I've come home and cooked supper in order to eat, hours later.

I used to practice Intermittent Fasting regularly pre-keto, and this teaches you to really observe your hunger and manage it. I actually feel less hunger when fasting. Once you get going it becomes easier. I will join the July challenge in order to get back into this. It is much easier to accomplish IF if you are already fat adapted, which many of us are.

@Ellen, I don't know which approach is better, as I seem to flit around doing different approaches lately. But at least I don't have stress about it. The only conclusion I can come to is that for me, carbs are bad, and hinder weight loss. So the farther I stay away from them the better !

Good morning !! Well the pool is almost full! I am so excited, another rather sleepless night but on the upside, I don't find that I am any more tired during the day. Since this is unusual heat for where I live, no AC, only fans. I found myself sitting on the patio at 2AM looking at the almost full moon It was so peaceful and beautiful. I may try to figure out a slow setting on my camera and set a tripod up to try for a picture tonight Had a few dizzy spells yesterday not sure if it's the heat or what. Ate some blueberries and yogurt to up my blood sugars and carbs. Feel great this morning down another LB so we will see if it made a difference or if it was just the heat.
Hope to be having a few laps in the pool this afternoon, maybe it will tire me out more !! Have a wonderful day everyone !!